So I got this computer from my company that was used by the graphics department. Dual 2.8Ghz Xeon, 3GB of ECC ram, Nvidia Quadro FX 4500. Really a nice machine. Problem is it has all sorts of 3d software on it: Maya, 3d Studio Max, brazil, and various plugins and shaders for each along with some other fancy 3d software and all of it is hardware specific so i can't transfer licenses. I'd like to sell the machine, but all this software would really just suck to loose. What would you do?
That's indeed a difficult decision. If it was cheap SW, there wouldn't be a problem, but those apps are thousands of dollars. I take it that you have no use for them? The HW would make a kick-ass media server, though. I'd add more RAM, a boatload of HDD space, and multiple TV tuners, and then I'd install Linux + MythTV. I don't know if there are drivers that can transform that Quadro into a GPGPU to do some F@H, but I'd look into that as well. Recycling old HW is fun!
@ivanolo : yeah the cost of this stuff is just whats killing me. beteween the plugins and some of the other apps (apps that can interpret MRI/CT data for example) there close to $50K in software on it. But i have no use - i barely know how to work 3dmax. @msp : company is going under - lots of stuff for free or minimal cost
Just take the HD out to not waste the Soft and put a new, larger HDs, and do anything you want with it... From a game rig to a DVR+media center... I dunno!
find me some SGI or other non-x86, i'll give you $$$. If they have workstations like that, I bet there is an SGI box or two laying around please please please please oh, and that will fetch some cash on ebay with all those apps
cant sell software on ebay - its against licensing agreement of most of these apps to be transferred to a different company/user unfortuantely no SGI stations, just dual xeons. I'm thinking the HD swap would work the best - the main drive with the apps is only 40GB so it wouldnt be too much to go in and swap that for something better.
